China, September 22, 2021 – STMicroelectronics (ST; NYSE: STM), a global leader in semiconductors serving multiple Electronic applications, announced that it has won the first LoRa system-on-chip (SoC) STM32WLE5* Design order. This order is an intelligent rubber tapping system developed by CIHEVEA, a professional rubber tapping automation company, which adopts low-power network technology to completely change the status quo of the rubber tapping industry. CIHEVEA has installed this innovative rubber tapping solution on more than 200,000 rubber trees in its Hainan Rubber Plantation, increasing the tapping productivity and rubber production.
In the CIHEVEA rubber tapping robot, STMicroelectronics LoRa SoC acts as an efficient and low-power communication hub and control center. The robot also has two precision motors and an array of environmental sensors that monitor weather conditions such as temperature, air pressure, and humidity. The STM32WLE5, clamped to the tree, transmits the sensor data to the mesh gateway through a dedicated LoRa application web server. The server can monitor, test, debug, and coordinate robots in the field. Once all pre-set conditions are met, the SoC activates the tapping motor to perform automatic tapping (tapping is usually performed in the early morning).
Leveraging the cost-effective STM32WLE5 and LoRa network, CIHEVEA’s original solution increases rubber production by 2-3 times, while minimizing damage to trees caused by rubber tapping operations and extending the life of rubber trees. In addition to increasing output and extending asset life, tapping robots also solve long-standing labor issues, as manual tapping is a difficult and dangerous operation.
The STM32WLE5 is an ultra-low-power multi-modulation wireless SoC microcontroller that integrates a 48 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 core and a long-range sub-GHz RF transceiver, as well as a range of market-proven peripherals designed by STMicroelectronics. Not only does the STM32WLE5 perform well, but in a small package (UFBGA) of only 5mm x 5mm, it is cost-effective and robust to meet the performance requirements of agricultural applications. The STM32WLEx microcontroller is also an open platform supporting LoRa™, (G)FSK, (G)MSK and BPSK modulation techniques.
Xu Zhenkun, chairman of CIHEVEA, said: “Our fully automatic intelligent rubber tapping system is a technological revolution in the rubber industry. With the increase in the utilization rate of platform technology, with the help of the low-power LoRa network communication function of STM32WLE5, this intelligent rubber garden platform system is being By creating a new rubber plantation ecosystem, we will bid farewell to the traditional high-density, heavy-pollution and low-efficiency production methods and usher in a new era of green environmental protection, high efficiency and digitalization.”
Arnaud Julienne, Vice President of STMicroelectronics Microcontrollers and Digital ICs Group and Head of AI/IoT Technology Innovation Center and Digital Marketing Asia Pacific, said: “The rubber tree is an important material widely used in industry, transportation and agriculture. source, improving rubber tapping efficiency and increasing rubber yield has always been the goal of rubber manufacturers, and STM32WL5 and LoRa network are ideal for achieving this goal. In addition, our unique rich connection chips, sensor products and solutions, and extensive power management and motor control solutions that are also ideal for a variety of applications in the smart farm sector, including tracking, irrigation systems, tractors, livestock positioning and health monitoring.
The Links: CM900DUC-24S MG8N6ES40
